1). Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable card unit processing apparatus which can read/display/change various information (numerical value information, transaction log, etc.) stored in a card unit (hereinafter, abbreviated as CU occasionally) such as an IC card, an optical card, a radio card or the like.
2). Description of the Relaged Art
There has been developed an electronic money system which enables cashless commercial transactions for these years. As a portable medium for electronic money, there is, in general, used a card unit (card-type storage medium) having a storage, more concretely, an IC card in which an integrated circuit (IC) is incorporated. Aportable balance display (balancer) is used by the holder of the IC card to refer a balance of electronic money stored in the storage of the IC card.
A general balance display (processing apparatus) is configuredas shown in FIGS. 34 through 36, for example.
As shown in FIG. 34(a), a balance display (card unit processing apparatus, 100 has a display unit 101 such as a liquid crystal display. An IC card 200 having a memory (storage unit) 201 and a terminal unit 202 is inserted to the balance display 100 as shown in FIG. 34(b), whereby a balance of electronic money ["10,000 in FIG. 34(b), for example] stored in the memory 201 is displayed on the display unit. 101 of the balance display 100.
Referring to FIGS. 35 and 36, a hardware structure of the balance disclaw 100 will be next described in more detail.
The balance display 100 has, in addition to the above-mentioned display unit 101, an MPU 102, an oscillator 103, a ROM 104, a RAM 105, a communicating unit 106, a terminal unit 107, a bus 108, a battery 109 and a power supplying switch 110, as shown in FIGS. 35 and 36.
Here, the display unit 101, the MPU 102, the ROM 104, the RAM 105 and the communicating unit 106 are connected to each other by the bus 108.
The MPU (MicroProcessor Unit) 102 operates with a clock fed from the oscillator 103 to collectively control operations of the balance display 100. The MPU 102 so controls as to read out a balance of electronic money from the memory 201 of the IC card 200 inserted to the balance display 100 and display the balance on the display unit 101.
The ROM 104 holds a program and the like used to conduct controlling operations by the MPU 102. The RAM 105 is used as a work area or the like when the MPU 102 conducts the controlling operations.
The communicating unit 106 has the terminal unit 107 contacting with the terminal unit 202 of the IC card 200 inserted to the balance display 100, as shown in FIG. 34(b), to communicate with the IC card 200 (memory 201) via the terminal units 107 and 202.
As shown in FIG. 36, the balance display 100 has the battery 109 for supplying power to each part of the balance display 100 and the IC card 200. In the balance display 100, the power is supplied from the battery 109 by closing the power supplying switch 110. The power supplying switch 110 is mechanically closed, interlocked with insertion of the IC card 200 into the balance display 100, or is closed in a manual operation by an operator (a holder of the IC card 200).
In the balance display 100 with the above structure, when the IC card 200 is inserted thereto, the power supplying switch 110 is closed, whereby the power from the battery 109 is supplied to each part of the balance display 100, besides supplied to the IC card 202 via the terminal units 107 and 202.
A balance of electronic money is read out, in the controlling operation by the MPU 102, from the memory 201 of the IC card 200 inserted in the balance display 100 via the terminal units 202 and 107, and the communicating unit 106. The balance is displayed on the display unit 101, as shown in FIG. 34(b).
As stated above, the balance display 100, which is a general card unit crossing apparatus, has only a function of displaying a balance of electronic money stored in the IC card 200. However, the portable balance display 100 as above also has the MPU 102, the ROM 104, the RAM 105, etc. along with the display unit 101, as stated above. If these structural elements can be effectively used to realize not only the balance displaying function but also other various functions, it is possible to more improve usefulness of the IC card 200 to the holder. Upon which, it is desirable to realize multi-functioning only by adding a minimum number of parts without causing complexity of the apparatus structure.